Kesav Tadimeti wrote:
Hi all,LOL. I think software piracy is a minor issue compared to the fact that we have a populous country with a lousy economy (I suspect concerns about human rights, the role of the military etc. are a convenient way to avoid talking about this issue openly).
It makes sense to use some sensible linux distro instead of using pirated MS
s/w. Consider - Windows OS ($8/-) + MS Office ($8/-) + MSVC ($8/-) + SqlServer
($8/-) + Adobe suite (acrobat, photoshop...$8/-) + ... = $40 atleast
Boxed Mandrake Linux (standard) was $50/- (7.2)
Or if you try Debian, FreeBSD = $10-15/-
With linux/BSD you get a whole lot of software as well. Those were prices in Singapore. In India, it is 100/- for a CD (USD2/-). So
a Linux CD set would cost upwards of Rs300/- when you could get it for half
the price from the Linux users group. Like Indonesia, most people
here buy Windows and Windows programs on the street for about $3.
Now I know why the EU is reluctant to admit Turkey. <g>
Cheers...
Still, software piracy is massive here - often even the copy of Windows you get with a new PC is pirated. Software sells on the street for about $3 per CD, so you're talking around $15 for a pirated MS software suite - cheaper than a Mandrake boxed set, but more expensive than buying Linux on the street. Computer magazines often provide Linux distros (I got 7.2 and 9.0 like that, the latter being a stripped-down one-CD version).
BTW, $3 is not a negligible amount of money here - you can get a pretty decent meal for that.
Sir Robin
--
"A Perl script is "correct" if it gets the job done before your boss fires you."
- Larry Wall
Robin Turner
IDMYO
Bilkent Univeritesi
Ankara 06533
Turkey
www.bilkent.edu.tr/~robin
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